It has been a while since I have given an update with my fight against the insurance company in regards to their blatant discrimination against the girls with their trauma insurance. For those who are not up to date, scroll down my blog page and you will see the previous updates.

I have to admit it had been a while since I had heard from either OnePath Insurance which honestly is pretty slack on their part or from my finance manager. However I did know that he was going to go speak to higher levels of ANZ about this problem.

Well, I have had taught the insurance company a few lessons in regards to individuals with autism. I was expecting them to still say no we are not going to cover them but I will insure the girls with their trauma policy.

However, the win does not just stop there and I will continue to make sure that this occurs but they are actually going to change their exclusions and no longer will lump children under the one umbrella. I am going to research all insurance companies who offer child trauma insurance policies and I will make sure that this does not happen to families again. Plus I am going to take the next step, of sending information to finance managers who offer these policies so that they too can fight for their clients. If it wasn’t for James from ANZ having a child on the spectrum, I do not think I would have won this fight. All I have to do is provide them with their school report which honestly I am not sure what the point is but I am happy to show them their achievements.

There is absolutely no reason for children to be excluded from trauma policies and this discrimination really needs to stop for good. I will keep updating my progress on this issue.

I never the I regret getting the diagnosis. No parent wants their child to be unwell in anyway. But I knew we had to get the girls the right help so that they can be successful in life.

I still remember sitting in the car with my husband before our first appointment with the psychologist. I had lots of written notes on behaviours that they were doing. I do remember thinking to myself what if it is all in my head?

Are we doing the right thing?

I remember sitting there fiddling with the paperwork convincing myself that this was the right thing to do.

Even when we battled the crèche where Grace attended for evidence and their lack of knowledge of child development, I did not think twice about what we were doing. I was told many times that Grace did not demonstrate the behaviours at crèche but all you had to do was watch her and she demonstrated all of them. It became very clear when the psychologist said to pull Grace out and the Director saying that they could not look after Grace’s needs just because of her diagnosis.

Although the choices were always hard and challenging at times, Steve and I kept hunting for services that would help develop Grace and Emma into the girls they are today. With their diagnosis they have received fantastic assistance at Keilor Park Preschool and Keilor Heights Primary School.

It was only now with our battle with an insurance Company, OnePath, that I felt for the first time that I regret getting them diagnosed. So many company’s think that they can discriminate against individuals with additional needs and illness just because they are simply uneducated. It was a slap in the face knowing that because of their diagnosis, they have been denied trauma insurance. Is this their future?

That afternoon when I picked them up from school, all I could do was look at their faces and think what have I done? What kind of future were they going to face just because of some label. I put aside everything that night and just spent the time with them. Emma and I played some tennis and all I could think of was that company was making them sound like they couldn’t even play tennis. I sat on the floor and Grace came and sat on my knee. The pain etched on Steve’s face was also evident.

But I knew that no matter what some uneducated insurance company thought, getting the right assistance gave the girls the opportunity to thrive in life. I will never let anyone discriminate against them. We should all stand up to these insurance companies and say enough is enough. We should not accept it.

How Not To Run Out of Helping Children with Autism Funding

How Not to Run Out of Helping with Children Funding by End if Financial Year

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